Letter: Book is a thoughtful look at the end of life

Comment

The State Journal-Register

Writer

Posted May. 14, 2014 at 1:01 AM

Posted May. 14, 2014 at 1:01 AM

Sandra Sullivan of the ALS Association in St Louis in her letter on Sunday (“Still no ALS cure 75 years after Gehrig retired”) wrote about baseball legend Lou Gehrig’s death from ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

It was a timely piece for me, as I had just finished reading the novel “Tuesdays With Morrie” by Mitch Albom. A former college student of Morrie Schwartz, Albom later became a journalist and returned to visit his former professor in his last months of life as he was dying from ALS.

In his many interviews with Morrie during those visits, Albom sat with him on Tuesdays and taped their conversations while Morrie talked about life, family and his thoughts about death. His outlook on life and his family were pensive as he shared his view toward his approaching death.

Morrie’s story will draw the reader into his world and his wise philosophical revelations of life and his approach to death. Once you start reading “Tuesdays With Morrie” it may be difficult to put down until you finish it. Think of it as an investment of your time to learn about Morrie’s acceptance of death and how we might approach our own end of life.